How Some Parents Drive Their Kids to Suicide

I’ve been saying for too many years that there are parents in this country, and probably around the world, who drive their gay or lesbian sons or daughters to suicide. And, to their defense, I will say that they don’t even realize they’re doing it until it’s too late. We as adults, young or old, already know how difficult the teen years can be. The teasing, the bullying, the “trying to fit in”, the sheer weight of peer pressure. Toss into the ring the reality of being a gay or lesbian who is still figuring themselves out – or, for that matter, even the ones who are confident within themselves with their sexuality – which is almost certain to bring added pressure and tension. Take all of that turmoil that they’re already dealing with at school amongst their peers, add to it living in a household where they already know that gays and lesbians are not accepted, looked down upon, or (in some cases) vehemently hated. That’s a recipe for disaster. It plays out in household across this country, and around the world, every single day. Remember: every 18 minutes, a kid takes his own life. That’s an epidemic! It’s time we start changing the way we think in order to start saving some lives. Even the strongest steel breaks under too much pressure.